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But you pepper me with poison darts/ And twisted in your knife…
Written by: Jagger/Richards Recorded: Studio Guillaume Tell, Paris, France, May 13-June 8 2002 Guest musicians: Darryl Jones (bass) *Data taken from Martin Elliott’s book THE ROLLING STONES COMPLETE RECORDING SESSIONS 1962-2012
Mick Jagger started to write “Don’t Stop” just before or during the sessions for his fourth solo album, Goddess in the Doorway (2001), but chose to record the song with the Stones. “I could see that Mick had designed it to come across well in large venues, a ‘Start Me Up’–style crowd song, with a simple kind of message and a straightforward structure,” explains Ron Wood. In terms of the lyrics, the Stones singer has cut straight to the chase by once again presenting a couple who get their thrills from dangerous sadomasochistic games: Well you bit my lip and drew first blood and warmed my cold, cold heart/And you wrote your name right on my back…
In spite of everything, however, love underlies this disturbing relationship, a love that motivates the narrator to lament: I’m losing you, I know yourheart is miles away. “Don’t Stop” (the Forty Licks version) was released as a single on December 16, 2002, along with a New Rock Mix version and a remix of “Miss You”. It reached number 36 on the British charts on December 28, 2002, and achieved a very honorable seventh place in Germany. The song was performed live during the Licks World Tour of 2002–2003.
It was therefore once again at a studio in Paris that the Stones got together to record their new songs. “Don’t Stop” is a Stones rock track par excellence, featuring a good tune, a contagious rhythm, and a band that is in full cry from beginning to end. Mick Jagger is on electric guitar, possibly the superb vintage Gibson ES-175 that was on hand during the sessions, and plays a rhythm part with some good riffs. Keith, despite being the first to play on the intro, does not have pride of place on this track. This is confirmed by Ron Wood: “Because Mick is playing guitar, there isn’t so much room for Keith, but he did manage to find a way of stabbing away at it, so that he was semi-happy with the result.”
Ronnie, on the other hand, plays lead guitar and delivers a very good solo (1:47) exactly as Mick had hoped for, a “trademark Woody guitar solo,” in the words of the guitarist. Supported by Darryl Jones, Charlie has no problem getting his bandmates to groove, with snare drum on every beat. Finally, Mick sings with no less enthusiasm and energy than he had forty years before…
